A Case of Nerves
by Julia2Cj
Summary: Lily has finally agreed to go on a date with James. Ridiculously cute, fluffy. You'll like it if you read it. :
1. Chapter 1

James couldn't believe she'd finally said yes. Years of rejection, and now—finally—a date. Granted, it was a school night and Sirius had promised to castrate him on the spot if he showed Lily the secret passage to Hogsmeade on their first date ("Wait at least a month, Prongs, until we're sure she's not just out to worm our trouble-making secrets out of you and then run off to Dumbledore with them!"). So James had stuck with the entirely unoriginal but good old standby of a walk around the lake after dinner. Sadly, the weather had refused to hold, and it had begun to pour. He'd given Lily his cloak, so he felt chivalrous, but nonetheless sopping wet. Therefore, they had picked a spot on the couch in front of the fire in hopes of drying off. James noticed gratefully that, whether because his friends had beaten them all off or whether every other Gryffindor knew what an occasion this date was, everyone else had scattered from the common room after they'd come in and were kindly giving them privacy. Well, as private as sitting in the middle of a common room can be when any member of your house might walk in at any moment.

Finally his clothes began to dry out and he became warm and comfortable again. He was a bit irritated when he felt his hair begin to stick up in back again; so much for all his efforts to keep it flat. Maybe this was what Lily had felt when she'd complained about the rain ruining her hair. Personally, James thought it looked nicer this way, drying into little ringlets around her face. Not that he hadn't thought she looked stunning when she showed up for their little stroll. It was still all very surreal; he kept expecting the prefects to join them for a meeting or for Lily to switch into Head Girl mode and start talking business. Yet here she was, sitting right next to him, talking about... Oh. He had no idea what she was talking about. He'd zoned out when he'd noticed that perfect red curl over her left eyebrow... Normally he would gladly have listened to Lily talk about drivel for hours, but he was a little nervous, and it had compromised his ability to think about more than one thing at a time.

In what he hoped was a casual manner, James draped his arm around Lily's shoulders. He tried to listen intently to whatever she was saying about what's-her-name, but he couldn't ignore the sensation that his stomach had dropped completely out of his body as soon as he'd touched her. He was starting to be afraid that he was going to make a complete fool of himself the next time he spoke, since Lily would be expecting him to make some witty remark about her story and he didn't even know whom she was talking about. Then she suddenly asked,

"James! Are you—are you _shaking_?" She looked at him, green eyes completely baffled and slightly mirthful.

"No!" he said, a little too quickly. She raised an eyebrow skeptically. He looked away, embarrassed, hoping she didn't notice the red creeping up his cheeks. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I guess I'm a little more nervous than I thought I was."

"Whatever for!" she exclaimed. "It's just a date." She looked at him bemusedly. "Surely James Potter doesn't get weak in the knees just because he's got his arm around a girl?"

"You're not just _a _girl to me, Lily. You know that. You're _the_ girl." His embarrassment was starting to rankle.

"But you must've—you must've... sometime..." She shook her head as if to clear it. "James, haven't you ever been on a date before?"

He sighed, knowing there was no way she could escape noticing his blush now, judging from the way heat had begun to radiate from his face. "Is it my fault you always said no?" He managed to keep his voice controlled, but he was getting a bit peevish. There was no need to be having this conversation now.

He could feel her eyes boring into the top of his head, so he diverted his gaze to the other side. "I know that _I_ always said no," she began, "but I always assumed I wasn't the only one you were asking. That somewhere along the line you must've gone to Hogsmeade with somebody else. Probably several other somebodies. But now that I think about it, I can't remember a single other girl ever talking about it, or looking a little cozy on the couch with you, or... anything."

"Look Lily," James scowled defensively, "you don't have to point it out. I know you've got loads more experience in this area than I do, and I'm quite nervous enough without you making a point of it. No, I've never been on a date, and I've never put my arm around a girl before, and I've never snuck out after hours to go snog in a broom closet, any of it. And believe me, Sirius makes fun of me quite enough for it. I certainly don't need to hear it from you, of all people." He took his arm back from her shoulders and folded it, along with the other, across his chest. He was getting ready to feel quite sorry for himself when he heard Lily smile. Or maybe he just imagined the sound, but when he finally dared to look at her, she was glowing.

She reached out touched his shoulder lightly. "Do you have any idea what kind of a compliment that is to a girl? To know that she can make you tremble like that? I think it's quite a bit nicer than if you just plopped down and made it seem like no big deal. There something very—romantic about that touch of awe." Her thumb brushed his collar bone, and he shivered involuntarily.

"I really didn't ever expect you to give me a second look," he admitted. "I suppose it feels a little bit like I'm sitting here, waiting to wake up. Why would you be here with me when you could be with someone who actually deserves you?"

"There, that too," Lily pointed out. "It's nice to know you respect me. That way I know you won't be looking for somebody a little better now that I've let you catch me." She smiled teasingly, then laid her head on his shoulder.

James' stomach had quickly returned, and it was rolling around inside him now so fast he didn't think he dared move. "You know I've always been nuts about you, Lily," he murmured. "Why would I waste my time in Hogsmeade on another girl? I'd rather be with you, being turned down once again. Well, most of the time, anyway. There have been a few times I've wondered if I should start looking for somebody of my own class. Down here with the toe rags, you know." He grinned. She grinned right back. "But honestly, I'd rather get a verbal lashing from you than a simpering smile from those other girls who aren't worthy to borrow your wand."

"In a twisted sort of way, I think that's the nicest thing anyone's ever told me," she chuckled. She turned on the couch, folding her legs up as she went so that she could face him fully. "So," she said, taking both his hands in hers and leaning forward.

She finished her sentence but James didn't hear it. He was looking at her hands in his, marvelling at the way they seemed to belong there. But he pulled himself out of his reverie and dragged his eyes back up to her face. "Sorry, didn't catch that. What did you say?"

He knew she was laughing at him inwardly, but she certainly didn't seem offended. "I asked what your favorite class was."

"Oh. Right. Umm, Transfiguration, probably. Though it can be a bit boring at times." He shrugged.

"I figured that's what you'd say. Is that why you get in so much trouble? Boredom?"

James was surprised at how comfortable she seemed with him. And how interested. "Yeah, I suppose so," he found himself saying. "It's just always been easy for me, you know? Like Charms and Potions for you."

She nodded. "I envy you, though. Charms and Potions seem so paltry when compared to being able to change one thing into something else. I know they're valuable classes and all, but just once in a while I'd like to be able to just—poof—change my sister into a beaver or something." She laughed.

Oh, how he loved that sound.

"We could work on that, you know," he responded, hoping he could get her to laugh again. "I'm sure we could look up the spell in the library, and I could help you with it. I'd even let you practice on me."

"Why thank you, James," Lily chuckled. "I'll have to take you up on that sometime. But preferably a little closer to the next holiday, so I don't have time to forget before I see Petunia again."

"How old is she?" James asked.

"Just starting Muggle university," Lily responded. "Thoroughly disgusted by magic and everything pertaining to it." She rolled her eyes and made a face.

"Ah. Hence wanting to turn her into a beaver." James was rewarded with a quick smile. Taking control of the conversation, he asked, "So what do you want to be when you grow up? Auror? Healer? Librarian? Caretaker of Hogwarts?"

"Oh lord no!" she gasped. "Can you picture me as Filch's successor, running around the school with my abnormal beastie, hauling kids out of broom closets and empty classrooms, threatening to hang them up by their heels?" She squinched one eye nearly closed and hunched her back, holding out one finger menacingly. "Get back to bed, Jimmy, and keep pincers and red hot irons in the back of your mind next time you think about sneaking out after hours!" she screeched.

James laughed so hard he nearly had tears leaking from his eyes. "I think you've got quite a future there. Who would have thought?" He paused a moment to take in her shining face, aglow with the pleasure of being with _him_. "Really though, Lily, what do you want to be after Hogwarts?" he asked seriously.

She looked down for a moment, thinking. "Alive," she said finally. "Happy. Still somehow able to suck the joy out of living, even in the midst of all the horror that's going on everywhere around us."

"You'll find a way," James said, squeezing her hands. "I can't picture you letting evil defeat you on the inside before it's beaten the outside. You're too strong for that, too keen to pick out the ray of light in the details of even the worst situations."

She seemed surprised by this evaluation of her. "What makes you say that?"

James shrugged. "It's just the way you are. Look at the way you treat Snape. Look at the way you find comfort to give the students whose parents have just been brutally and senselessly murdered. It's not easy, you know. I've had to do it too. You're much better at it than I am," he admitted admiringly.

"Somehow I can't picture you giving up very easily yourself," she replied with a smile. James didn't mind the teasing, just happy to see her smiling at him. Lily apologized a little sheepishly, "Sorry, that probably wasn't really the answer you were looking for."

"Maybe not what I was expecting, but still the answer I was really looking for," James assured her. Conversation ground to a halt for a few seconds. Then, struck with a sudden idea, he blurted out, "Do you want to go to the Astronomy Tower?" Lily snickered. James blushed. "Not to go...do whatever other people do up there," he fumbled, "but to actually go look at the stars." He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "They really are quite amazing."

"I'd love to," she answered with that same bemused smile.

When they had found themselves a spot on the floor, looking up at the vast expanse of sky, they started to talk again. It was amazingly easy. James had always dreamed of his first date with Lily Evans being a smashing success in which he wooed her with his smooth and intelligent conversation, dazzled her with his wits, and charmed her with his dashing good looks. But in the back of his mind, he'd always known that he couldn't seem to put together ten words without making himself look like an idiot, and he could never think of anything witty to say, and he was frankly a pretty ordinary looking guy, a little too tall and skinny with hair that wouldn't stay put and eyes that couldn't see farther than five feet without his glasses. When Lily had finally accepted, he'd been ecstatic—until the reality had set in that he was going to make a complete fool of himself. Still, he found himself here, with Lily so close their ankles brushed, talk flowing freely, all evidence pointing to genuine interest on her part. He was sure he was going to wake up to find it all a dream. But oh, what a blissful dream. Then she looked up him, smiled, and slid over to rest her head on his chest.

She must have been able to hear his heart pounding. He was half afraid it was going to come flying out of his chest at any moment, racing a mile a minute. It seemed to constrict painfully for a moment, and his whole body tingled all the way out to the tips of his toes and his fingers. They were silent together, just taking in the moment. James hesitantly reached over with one shaking hand to brush a strand of hair out of her face. He had imagined countless times what it might feel like to bury his hands in that thick, curly, wonderful hair (usually while also imagining what it might feel like to snog her madly), and now it lay there, waiting for him. He couldn't seem to help it; his hand just slid up and in and started to slowly stroke. Lily made a soft sound halfway between a moan and a sigh and nuzzled a little closer. His heart radiated tingles again, and his breath caught in his throat. Clearly he was doing something right. "Feels nice," she murmured, eyes closed. He closed his eyes, grinning like an idiot, completely content.

They walked back to the common room, still talking comfortably. James worked up the nerve to reach over and take her hand on the way, which she returned with a little squeeze to let him know it was all right. He was completely amazed at how well things had gone. She really was everything he'd been waiting for and more. In what seemed a moment they were back at the foot of the stairs. The other students had headed for bed long ago. James and Lily stood there in the empty room just looking at each other for a minute.

"Well." James shuffled awkwardly. "I had a really great time tonight with you. Thanks for coming, Lily. I'm glad you finally said yes."

"So am I." She smiled. "Can we do it again sometime?"

James' eyebrows shot up. "Really? You want to?" he said, a little too eagerly. He caught himself and cleared his throat. "Of course we can. If you want to."

Lily laughed. "Were you expecting, 'I had a lovely time this evening, James, and now I'd like it if you'd just leave me alone and stop speaking to me'?"

"Well, er, yeah, I suppose I was," he said sheepishly. He laughed a little in relief. "Just name your time, name your place for the next date. I'll be there."

"How about Hogsmeade this weekend? I'll meet you here in the common room a half hour after breakfast, and we can go together."

"That sounds nice." James couldn't seem to stop smiling. His cheeks were starting to hurt. "Well, um, goodnight then."

"I'll see you in the morning." Lily smiled encouragingly at him, looking expectant.

This was terribly awkward. He'd never thought about how the date was supposed to end. He'd put all his effort into thinking about getting her on the date in the first place, not how he'd leave afterwards. And she was clearly waiting for something.

Oh Merlin.

The kiss. Was that what she was waiting for? She wanted him to kiss her? But what if that wasn't what she was waiting for, and then maybe she would think that he was being presumptuous and she'd slap him and never speak to him again. Maybe there was something else in dating etiquette that he'd missed out on and Sirius had forgotten to mention. He couldn't escort her up the stairs; they'd send him sliding right back down. They'd already made plans for another date. What else could there be?

"James?" Yes, she was definitely waiting for something. "Aren't you going to kiss me goodnight?"

This time the blood drained from his face. "Won't you..." he began faintly. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Won't you think I'm presumptuous and slap me and stop speaking to me forever?"

Her eyes widened. Then she started to laugh. Hard. "You _still_ think I'd slap you? What more is it going to take to convince you that I like you?"

The blood came pouring back into his face. She liked him. SHE liked _him_. Lily Evans had just said that she liked James Potter. Surely the world had just stopped spinning and that was why he felt so dizzy.

"Well?"

Right. Kissing her. It couldn't be that hard. He'd pictured it in his head a million times. He would take her in his arms just so and then...

His head wouldn't move. He just couldn't quite seem to convince it to drop those few inches to her waiting, upturned face. Merlin, she was beautiful. To him, anyway. And he was scared to death to kiss her.

She opened her eyes. "What are you waiting for?" she asked softly.

"I can't move," he whispered honestly.

The corner of her mouth twitched. "Nerves again?"

He tried to nod, but his head still wouldn't move. "Terrified. I've... never done this before, you know." Couldn't hurt to tell the truth, right? He certainly couldn't get any redder. "I might mess it up."

"Oh, pish posh. I wouldn't care. And if you think you need more practice, we can work on that later." Her eyes twinkled mischeviously. Oh lord. This wasn't fair. How could she tease him like that at a time like this? "Here, let me help." She reached up, slid her hand up the back of his neck into his hair, which seemed to trigger his eyes to close, and she pulled his head down, stopping just short of her lips. His eyelids drifted open far enough to see her looking at him, smiling a little dreamily, as she whispered, "Well, come on then." This time he did it.

Oh, what a peculiar sensation! Somehow it wasn't what he had imagined at all. He was definitely going to need that practice Lily had suggested. He pulled back after a moment and licked his lips, feeling slightly breathless. Lily smiled at him, then reached up and kissed him again. This time it felt a little less strange and a little more like he had imagined. Then she opened her mouth, silently encouraging him to follow, and he started to see why people would run off into empty classrooms to do this for a few minutes after lunch or between classes. He could do this all day. In fact, he was starting to think that now Lily had let him start, he wasn't ever going to be able to stop. He was caught between holding himself back so she wouldn't think he was just in it for the snogging, and not being able to get enough of her, her taste, her smell, her hair, her in his arms...

This time Lily was the one to pull back, quite breathless and flushed. "Well. I don't think we need to worry about practicing that," she murmured, looking a little dazed. "I'd say you're a natural."

"Really?" The edges of his mouth were turning up slowly, but he was dying for some more affirmation. _Please tell me it was good, please tell me it was good..._

Lily nodded. "That was..." She grinned. "That was worth repeating. Preferably several times in the future."

Now James was grinning like an idiot again. "Well, if I did all right the first time, just imagine how I'll do with a little more practice."

Her eyes twinkled. "I was."

"Well then, let me make your dreams come true," he teased, bending down to kiss her again.

Several minutes and several kisses later, James realized his knees were shaking. "Sorry Lily, I'm afraid it's time to go," he whispered, "before my legs give out and betray me. You've made me quite weak in the knees again."

She beamed at him, emerald eyes alight and affectionate. James felt the entire evening would have been worthwhile if that smile were all he had to take to his dreams tonight. "Goodnight, James." She reached up and kissed his cheek.

He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Lily."

He watched her walk up the stairs, turn and flash him a brilliant smile, and go inside. He walked up the stairs to his own dormitory and flopped down on his bed with a happy sigh.

"Well?" He looked up to find three pairs of eyes staring at him through the bed curtains. "How did it go?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, bugger off," James said, rolling over to hide the grin he couldn't stop.

"Ooh, must've been _really_ good," Remus said.

"How do you figure that?" Peter asked.

"You only keep the details to yourself if it was too good to share," Sirius explained. "If it had only been a normal date, he would have told us all about it." He turned back to the bed. "Just _please _tell me this one thing: did you get to snog her?"

James felt the red creeping up his neck and hid his head under the pillow. "I told you, bugger off." But even he could hear the smile in his voice.

"Oh, good for you, mate. That's all I really wanted to know." Sirius sounded satisfied, and James heard the curtains slide shut again. He rolled over onto his back as he drifted off into daydreams of his evening with Lily, and then finally slid into real dreams of how he might spend the rest of his life with her.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, James was astounded by the number of people who came up to him to ask in hushed, conspiratorial tones how the date had gone. He'd expected to be grilled thoroughly by his friends, but they seemed satisfied with the little they'd wormed out of him last night. But it seemed that every other seventh year male, all the Gryffindors, and a few other interested people were watching the burgeoning relationship with great interest. When Lily came down for breakfast with the girls from her dormitory, the entire room seemed to hold its breath as she walked past James.

"Good morning, James," she said, the girls around her giggling slightly. Then she winked.

"Good morning, Lily," he replied, hiding his grin by stuffing his mouth full of eggs as soon as she had passed. Sirius and Peter exchanged significant looks.

Remus sighed. "It's begun," he grumbled morosely.

"What has?" James asked.

Remus shot him a withering glance. "You. Lily. Together. You're going to marry her, and we three bachelors will be left all alone to fend for ourselves. Meanwhile you'll be enjoying wedding bliss, surrounded by a wife and lots of fuzzy-headed babies..."

"Sirius will be off snogging Miss Teen Veela..." Peter chimed in.

"And you two blokes will sit at home playing chess and knitting," Sirius finished.

James laughed. "Well, that doesn't sound so bad for Sirius, and it sounds like I'll be getting lots of booties and caps from you for all those fuzzy-headed babies of mine. What's the problem with that?"

"Will you be proposing today then?" Peter asked dryly.

Sirius snickered. "He's already got the ring picked out."

"Oh Prongs, you haven't!" Remus moaned. "Please tell me you're not hiding it up in our dormitory somewhere."

James reddened slightly. "Of course not. I plan on waiting a respectable period of time. You know, until she declares herself incurably and eternally in love with me or something along those lines. _Then_ I'll propose." He glanced over at Lily, where she sat laughing and talking with her friends. She caught his eyes for a second and flashed him a quick grin before resuming her conversation.

Sirius grimaced and pushed himself back from the table. "I think I've lost my appetite. With your head that far up in the clouds, we're going to need to tie your shoes for you tomorrow."

James was panting by the time he made it back to the Great Hall for lunch. He was late, he was famished, and he was sick of everyone crowding around him to ask him how his date had gone. He'd nearly gotten a detention from Slughorn for being almost ten minutes tardy. Lily had just raised an eyebrow at him from across the room and looked like she was trying not to laugh. And now all he wanted was peace and quiet. And food. And if Lily happened to be involved, that wouldn't be unwelcome either. Particularly if snogging Lily happened to be involved...

His eyes scanned the table for an empty seat. Oh, bless Remus! He'd intentionally saved a seat next to him—and right across from Lily. As James slid breathlessly into his seat, he began to pile his plate with food. His stomach rumbled loudly.

"All right, mate? You look a bit peaky," Remus commented.

"And hungry," Lily added, looking rather amazed at the heap of food in front of him.

"Well, he hasn't really eaten since you agreed to that date. Too nervous," explained Peter from down the table. "Suppose he's making up for it now."

James scowled at him. "I just happen to be exceptionally hungry. And cranky."

"What?" Sirius gasped in feigned disbelief. "With the lovely Lily of your dreams so near?"

At least only his ears were flaming this time. "Lay off, would you?" James grumbled. "I wouldn't be so cranky if people would stop crowding around me and begging for details about the date."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "You too, eh? I thought I was going to be crushed on my way to Herbology. The entire 7th year of Hufflepuff girls swarmed down and begged to know if it was really true that I'd finally given in and how it had gone and whether we'd snogged."

James closed his eyes in mortification. "I hate that question. Sorry to put you through that; I suppose it wouldn't be such a big deal if I'd been a bit more discreet in the asking."

She laughed. "Well, yes. And I perhaps could have been a bit less... unequivocal in the refusals. There's probably a whole group of people who think I've been secretly dating the Giant Squid for the last several months, since I do think I mentioned several times that I preferred it to you."

"Well, I'm sick of it," James groused. "Do you mind if I make an announcement?"

Her eyes widened. "What? Right now? What kind of announcement?"

"A 'yes, we went out; now leave us alone' kind."

Now it was her turn to blush slightly. "Well, isn't that going to be kind of embarrassing? You know, announcing it to the whole school and all?"

James laughed. "Well, it's not as if I haven't already announced to the whole school that I fancy you. And then been embarrassed in front of them all when you announced your strong dislike of me. They don't embarrass me much anymore," he said, waving his hand vaguely around the room.

"Well, you'll embarrass me," Lily said, lowering her voice and leaning over the table. "I don't particularly enjoy being the center of attention."

"Then it's a good thing I don't mind it at all," James grinned. "Just think: no more fear of being crushed, no more detentions for being kept back, no more nosy questions... I promise, I'll be short and to the point, and you can just sit there and look pretty. Like you always do."

"Fine," Lily sighed, knowing she'd already lost. "Let's just get it over with." She buried her face in her hands as James stood up and put his wand to his throat.

"Excuse me! I'd just like to make a quick announcement, since several of you have already asked about this. Yes, Lily Evans did agree to go on a date with me. Yes, we had a lovely time, no hexing or love potions involved. It's none of your business whether or not we snogged. And now we'd appreciate it if you'd leave us alone and let us go to class." He took a seat amidst whistles and laughter. Reaching across the table, he tugged on a little piece of Lily's hair, the only part of her face showing above her arms. "There, that wasn't _so_ bad, was it?" He put on his best puppy dog eyes and his most winsome smile as she looked up at him, face flaming.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," she mumbled, but James could tell she was trying not to smile. He batted his eyelashes a few times, not caring how ridiculous he looked, until she caved in with a smile and a roll of her eyes. "You're impossible."

He grinned. "That's probably why you like me."

"Maybe," she conceded. When she turned back to her plate, she chuckled to herself and shook her head.


	3. Chapter 3

"James?"

His heart skipped a beat. Was she actually initiating a conversation? Maybe she was going to suggest they go for a walk around the castle, or maybe even a trip up to the Astronomy Tower for a repeat of the other night. It had been two days since their date, and it was killing him. He hadn't ever known days to drag on so long.

"We should probably go on rounds now."

Oh. Never mind then. He checked his watch. Wait a second... "But we're not supposed to go for almost half an hour yet."

She shrugged and smiled mysteriously. "Do you mind? I figured we'd go for a bit of a walk first."

"More like a bit of a snog," James heard Sirius whisper to Remus, and they snickered. His face heated up, and he wondered if Lily had heard them too. If so, she certainly didn't show it. Throwing his friends a dirty look, he got up and followed her out the portrait hole.

"Sorry about them," James said as he caught up with her. "They can be a bit of a pain sometimes."

Lily shrugged. "At least they don't start giggling every time I walk by. I never realized before this week what an annoying sound a giggle is." She made a face.

"So what have you told the other girls?" James asked curiously.

"About us?" Lily asked. She raised her eyebrows thoughtfully. "I told them we went for a walk, and you gave me your cloak in the rain—that was when Emmaline started giggling—and that we sat and talked for a while, that we watched the stars for a while—that was then the other girls started giggling; I don't think they believe that's what we were doing—and that we're going to Hogsmeade together tomorrow. Oh, and that I taught you to kiss properly."

James gasped, horrified. "You didn't!"

The sound of her laughter tinkled in the hallways. "You're right, I didn't. In fact, I didn't tell them that you kissed me at all. It felt like it ought to stay a private matter. Some things are better kept just between us, don't you think?" She smiled up at him, and James felt his heart warm as he looked at her. She really was wonderful. "So what did you tell the boys?"

"Absolutely nothing," James reported honestly. "Apparently, when said in the appropriate tone of voice, 'bugger off' means 'we had a really great date complete with snogging that will be repeated again in the near future.' At least, that's how Sirius and Remus interpreted it."

"Well then, they're not too far off, are they?" Lily remarked. She took his arm, and James felt his hair stand on end. It really wasn't fair that she could be so casual about it when he could barely keep walking straight. She glanced over and must have noticed his goosebumps, because she asked, "Are you cold?"

He shook his head. "No, you're just touching me again." He gave her a small smile and tried to ignore the pounding in his chest.

She shook her head in disbelief. "I don't know why I affect you like that."

"Don't you?" he said mildly. "Perhaps it's because I've idolized you for ages, and now

your hand is on my arm. It's like being touched by all that I've always viewed as good and right about the female half of the species."

"Oh lovely," she laughed, shaking her hair out of her eyes. "All you'll be expecting from me then is perfection."

"No," he corrected gently, "just for you to be you. I've never said you were perfect—just that you were perfect for me."

"And why is that? What's so fantastic about me anyway?"

"Your Lilyness," he answered simply.

She chuckled. "Is that the kind of answer you're planning to give on your NEWTs? Because I don't think you'll pass."

He grinned. "No, it's just... hard to encapsulate you in words, you know? I could list off a million things and never really hit on just what it is that makes you so great."

"Well, you could try," she suggested shyly.

He reached up and laced his fingers through hers. "Feeling a little insecure, are we?" he teased.

"Just a little nervous that I won't be able to live up to your expectations," she shrugged.

Well, it was nice to know she was nervous about something too. It made him feel a little less ridiculous for shaking like a leaf every time they touched. "Well," he began thoughtfully, "you're obviously brilliant—I couldn't stand to be serious about anyone who wasn't smart enough to put me in my place once in a while. But you're not conceited; you don't hold it over everyone's heads that you're the smartest witch in the school. And you're kind. And you listen to people, really listen and take them seriously. I have trouble with that sometimes, so I really admire that in you. And you're funny, tons of fun to be around. And you're beautiful, of course"—she snorted—"which makes the rest of you all the more appealing."

"I'm completely average-looking," Lily contradicted. "Maybe you took a bludger to the head, and that's why you fancy me so much."

"Lily, you walked into History of Magic the first day back from Christmas in fourth year and... Well, it was the first time I'd ever really looked at you. I was fifteen, and girls were just starting to be very interesting. But you came in with your hair down, a little bit of make-up on—this was back when you were experimenting with it—and this gorgeous smile on your face while you talked to Emmaline. You looked like a goddess among mortals. Nobody else in the room held a candle to you. I think I actually stopped breathing for a few minutes. Sirius likes to tease me about how ridiculous I looked, gaping at you as though I'd never seen a girl before in my life. Honestly though, I don't think I've really looked at another girl since." He smiled to himself. "Not only did you have the most beautiful hair and the most beautiful smile and the most beautiful, expressive eyes, and some really fantastic legs"—Lily laughed—"but the way you interacted with everyone convinced me you were the girl for me. Just watching the way you laughed and joked and listened and supported and yelled at me for being an arse and everything... and the better I've gotten to know you, the more true it is."

They were both silent for a several minutes. Finally Lily asked tentatively, "You really think all that about me? That I'm beautiful and fun and all that?"

"Of course I do," James affirmed adamantly. "If I didn't, I would have given up the first time you rejected me and started asking out girls who actually liked me." She smiled and squeezed his hand. "So, if you don't mind my asking, why did you finally change your mind?"

Lily looked up at him pensively, and then the corner of her mouth twitched. "Curiosity," she stated. "Towards the end of last year, when you weren't such a jerk anymore, I started wondering what you'd do if I ever said yes. And the wondering turned into more wondering about what the date would be like, and then what it would be like to date you, and then wondering what you were doing at the moment. Pretty soon I was wondering what you were thinking while you were staring out the window and what you were writing on that little piece of scratch paper. And then I started to notice how much fun everyone around you always seemed to be having and how you put them at ease. And how serious you could be when it was appropriate. And then this year started, and you were intelligent and interesting. And then I started to notice that you were rather nice to look at too. Just about the time I started to think I'd missed my chance, you asked me out again, and here we are." She shrugged. "Sorry, it's not quite such a nice story."

"Believe me, I don't mind," James replied. "Just as long as you give me a serious chance." He grinned. "It would be nice too if you'd decide along the way that you're really quite hopelessly in love with me."

"Just as long as you don't decide that I'm really not all you thought I was," responded Lily.

"You've certainly given me the easier end of the bargain," James remarked. "So what did you really take me out here for? Did you really just fancy a walk around the castle before rounds?"

Lily grinned. "I got sick of waiting for Hogsmeade, and I wanted to spend some time with you alone. I hope you don't mind."

James chuckled. "I've been dying for something like this. I just didn't want to be pushy and smothering. Sirius always complains about girls who can't wait for the second date."

"Well it's good I'm not dating Sirius then, isn't it?" Lily joked. James shuddered at the thought. Lily glanced at her watch. "We've still got a few minutes before rounds. Do you want to find a place to sit?"

"Is 'sit' a euphemism for 'snog madly'?" James asked hopefully.

Lily blushed. "It might be," she mumbled, not meeting his eyes.

"Well then, by all means lead on!" he answered cheerfully. Lily smacked him in the arm, causing him to laugh and sling the offended arm around her shoulders. "I really am crazy about you, you know," he said seriously.

"Yeah, I know," she replied happily. "It's mutual."

James' stomach swooped. Ignoring his nerves and the familiar tingling sensation, he leaned over and kissed her softly. He loved the way he could feel her smile against his lips. But he pulled away and murmured softly, "We'll save the rest of those for tomorrow. It's time for rounds." He was gratified to hear the disappointment in her voice when she agreed.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, James awoke early. Cracking one eye open, he tried to make out the time without putting his glasses on. 6:17. What on earth was he doing awake at this hour on a Saturday? He groggily rolled over and started to fall back to sleep when he remembered: Hogsmeade. Today. Lily. With him. Suddenly he was wondering why he'd let himself sleep so late. It was going to take him ages just to make his hair look presentable, let alone find something to wear, eat breakfast, check his supply of galleons... He threw back the curtains around his bed and started scurrying around the room.

"Oy, Prongs," Sirius grumbled, "could you keep it down? I'm trying to get my beauty sleep. Besides," he grunted, "I thought you turned to dust if the rays of the sun hit you before noon on weekends."

"Mmmph," added Peter, peeking out of his curtains, then burying his head underneath his pillow. "Too early."

Frantically searching through his pile of clothes for anything that was clean and presentable, James was in no mood to talk about his sudden proclivity for early mornings. "Lily," he managed to get out as he pulled a shirt over his head. Hmm, apparently he hadn't worn this one in a while. The shoulders were quite a bit snugger than he remembered. Downright uncomfortable, actually. As he yanked it back off, he reminded them, "Hogsmeade."

"Might as well get up then," Sirius groaned with a resigned sigh. "You're going to be up bumbling and banging around for ages if you're trying to get ready for The Date again, and there's no point in trying to sleep through it." He held back the curtain by his head and peered at James out of one resentful eye. "I'll hold it against you if I'm looking too pale and peaky to be snoggable today, mate."

"Then it's a good thing Christina Wheatley would snog you even if you had slugs coming out of your ears. I'm going to breakfast." James was too edgy to be polite. Unable to think clearly about what to wear, he left in the same clothes he'd worn yesterday.

When he arrived at the Great Hall, it was nearly empty. He recognized two of the other players from the Gryffindor quidditch team and slid in across from them. "G'morning," he said gruffly. He stared at the food in front of him, but nothing looked good. In fact, he was feeling a wee bit queasy, now that he thought about it. But he helped himself to some oatmeal, loaded it up with brown sugar and milk, and took a bite. It tasted like cardboard. He could hardly even swallow. When he did, it sat in his stomach like a spoonful of lead. He stirred the rest of his oatmeal halfheartedly, and then just looked at it.

"Something bothering you?" asked Adam, the burly boy sitting across from James. He was one of the team beaters, and under normal circumstances, James would have been chatting with him quite happily. "You look a little green."

"Of course something's bothering him, you big lout!" chided the other beater, a tall, brown-eyed girl named Sarah. "He's taking Lily Evans to Hogsmeade today."

Adam whistled. "No wonder you're a nervous wreck. This has been a long time coming, eh?"

Sarah kicked him under the table. "I'm sure she'll have a great time, James," she consoled. "I don't know why she's waited this long in the first place to go out with you. Any other girl at Hogwarts would have said yes ages ago."

James' head hit the table with a loud thump. "It's going to be a disaster," he wailed, his voice muffled by his arms. James banged his head on the table in despair. Thump, thump, thump.

Sarah and Adam exchanged puzzled glances. "But I thought you told us you had a good time on a date earlier this week," Adam reminded him.

A muffled groan. "It was perfect but I don't think I can do it again, not for a whole day! I'm going to make a complete idiot of myself. I always make an idiot of myself around her. Expecting not to for four days in a row is... well, it's insane. And this is my only chance, you know," he said, sitting up and sounding slightly desperate. "What if I say something that convinces her I really am the arrogant pig she's always believed me to be? She'll never go out with me again. She'll never give me another chance to show that I'm not. Or what if I prove myself to be a bumbling fool? Or what if..."

"Don't be ridiculous," Sarah interrupted hastily, cutting him off before he could hyperventilate. "You're not an arrogant pig, you're not a bumbling fool. You're one of the smartest wizards in the school, you're tons of fun to be around, you're not bad-looking, and you've been crazy about her for as long as anyone can remember. Plus you've already got one good date under your belt. If that's not a recipe for winning a girl's heart, I don't know what is." She put a hand on his shoulder and smiled soothingly. "Just go upstairs and get dressed before Lily comes down and sees you sitting here like this."

Seeing James' eyes widen in panic, she asked tentatively, "You do have something else to wear, right?" Thump. James' head hit the table again. Sarah lifted her eyes heavenward with a small sigh. "Would you like some advice?" Nod. "Girls like Lily like collared shirts. Makes a fit guy like you look very mature and confident. Do you have one?" Nod. "Okay then. Pair of jeans, collared shirt, you'll look great. And do you know what you're going to do together?" Thump. Thump. Thump.

"Ah, mate," Adam ventured, "I don't think she's going to be impressed by a bruise in the center of your forehead." Sarah glared at him, but James sat up.

"Now don't try too hard to impress her. You're really best when you're just being yourself," she advised. "Find out what she likes to do, and then do it together. If you run out of things to do, find something you're good at that you can do together. Like... well, you're a bloody brilliant chaser, but I don't think she's going to be too keen on a game of one-on-one... But maybe you could find something impressive or romantic to transfigure for her. You're top of that class there." All James could think of transfiguring was girls into beavers, and while Lily might be amused by that, he didn't she'd find it particularly romantic. "You'll be fine," Sarah assured him again, seeing the panicked, glassy look returning to his eyes.

James got up and wandered off in the direction of the tower looking dazed and a little like a deer in the headlights. Adam turned to Sarah. "So apparently Lily Evans isn't the only one with a bit of a crush on James Potter," he observed slyly.

"Oh, don't be daft," Sarah responded flippantly. "Every girl at this school knows James Potter is a lost cause unless your name is Lily Evans. I was just practicing my inspirational talks for next year. You know, in case I'm team captain."

Back in his room, James was finding it difficult to do anything properly. He was already toweling himself off when he realized he'd forgotten to rinse the shampoo out of his hair. Then, when he found his white collared shirt, it had been wrinkled. What was supposed to have been a simple Straightening Charm turned out a bit overzealous, and a small brown mark appeared around a buttonhole with something rising from it that smelled suspiciously like smoke. His hair wouldn't stay put, but that was expected. And now he was as ready as he was going to get, probably before Lily had even left for breakfast, sitting with nothing to do but fidget until she appeared. Had he been slightly less preoccupied with his own nervousness, he might have noticed that there were a few others sitting around the common room twiddling their thumbs and looking a little paler than usual while they waited for their dates to appear. But James had little room in his mind for anything other than Lily and what they might do together and how he could avoid looking like a fool while they did it.

Slowly the common room began to empty, and all the nervous students around James found their dates and went off. Sirius, Remus, and Peter had passed by, given him a clap on the shoulder and some hearty encouragement, and then left him alone to wait. He was beginning to think she'd found a way to sneak out without him noticing (maybe she had an invisibility cloak too, or maybe she'd mastered that spell they'd just talked about in Charms, or maybe she'd hopped out of her window on a broomstick...though he couldn't ever recall seeing Lily fly... or maybe...) when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Ready?" His head snapped up at the sound of her voice, and what he saw rendered him unable to reply for several moments. Lily looked stunning. She had her hair down and a little bit of make-up on, just like that day in fourth year—was that intentional on her part?—and she was smiling at him as though he were the only person in the room. He was sure he was gaping at her in that way Sirius always teased him about. But James thought maybe she looked just a little bit nervous too as she said, "Stop staring at me. Do I look all right?"

"Perfect," he croaked. His voice had apparently not fully returned yet, but at least he'd regained the ability to smile. He flashed her the most winsome one he could muster and tried to stand up.

Not this again. His knees were simply refusing to cooperate. And now that he'd tried, he found his legs were shaking quite violently. Maybe he could just talk to her for a minute while he got himself under control. "So," he started tentatively, "any particular reason you left your hair down today? You hardly ever do anymore." She flushed, and he rushed to add, "It looks nice, but I just wondered, you know, if..." he trailed off and shrugged.

"I seem to recall you mentioning that you liked it," Lily replied shyly. She really did look marvelous when she was blushing, James thought to himself. Then he noticed the teasing glint in her eye. "Good to know not everything about you has changed since fourth year."

James' turn to blush. "I really was a bit of a turd, wasn't I? Even I can't believe some of the things I did and said, especially around you. I like to think I've grown up a little bit, though."

Lily smiled. "You have. Otherwise I wouldn't be here. And I definitely wouldn't have locked Emma out of the bathroom for nearly an hour to get ready. She nearly had smoke coming out of her ears by the time I let her in, and she probably would have hexed me if she hadn't known I had a good reason."

James laughed. "What good reason might that be?" he teased, delighted to see her flash him a smile. It was still exhilarating to know that he could make her happy.

"Well, I thought I was going to Hogsmeade with this guy I like," she quipped, "and I thought he'd appreciate it. But he doesn't seem too eager to get off the couch." The corner of her mouth twitched into a small smile again.

"Sorry," he apologized, "I've got a case of the old 'Lily makes James weak in the knees' again. You really shouldn't surprise a bloke when you look like that and still expect him to be able to think straight, you know. But I believe I've recovered—for the moment." He grinned and stood up, pleased to find his legs fully functional once more. "Shall we?" He held out his arm, and Lily took it, beaming at him.

They walked down the corridor together, James feeling quite proud, Lily apparently quite happy to be with him. They were waiting in line to be signed out when James noticed Adam just a bit in front of them. Their eyes met, and Adam gave James a discreet thumbs-up. James grinned back.

At last, Filch wrote down their names, and James' stomach did a somersault just seeing their names next to each other. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they were even closer together, connected? James and Lily. James and Lily Potter. He liked the sound of that. He glanced down at Lily, daydreaming about what it would be like to be married to her. "Where shall we go?" she asked, pulling him out of his reverie. "Where's your favorite place in Hogsmade?"

"Today, it's wherever you are," he replied honestly. "Today's the Lily Special." He leaned down to kiss her cheek, then whispered in her ear, "That means we go wherever you say."

"You're going to sweep me entirely off my feet, James Potter," Lily said in mock indignation, trying to scowl but failing miserably.

James grinned. "Well, yes, that is the idea." She reached up and kissed him, putting conversation to an end for a few minutes.

Soon they found themselves walking hand in hand down the streets of Hogsmeade. James thoroughly enjoyed being dragged into all of Lily's favorite places, watching her face light up at each one. She reverently breathed in the smell of old books, she sampled the new candies and closed her eyes as she savored the first bite of Honeydukes chocolate, she pointed out her favorite necklace and tried it on for him (he quietly bought it while she was looking for the loo in the back), and she took absolute delight in everything she touched and smelled and saw and tasted.

"James, look!" she cried when they were back in the street, stopped and crouching down in the middle of the road. He knelt down beside her to find a small, single daisy growing up between the cracks. "Isn't it beautiful?" she breathed reverently. He looked over at her, enjoying the sight of her whole self totally absorbed in wonder.

"Yes, it is," he agreed when he turned back to the daisy. He surprised himself by meaning it. She surprised him by leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.

"C'mon. It's about time for lunch at the Three Broomsticks," she said, getting up and tugging on his hand. He happily followed her. As they walked past, Zonko's caught his eye, and for a moment he hesitated. He looked longingly through the door for just a second before turning back to Lily. He knew which was more important today, and he was happy to give up a trip to his favorite store for the sake of being with her. He squeezed her hand, and she turned back to him and smiled.

Then she surprised him by saying, "Let's go in here. You can give me a proper tour of the place."

"You really want to, Lily?" James asked skeptically. "I somehow doubt you've got much use for what's inside. And today is all about what _you_ want to do, after all."

She flashed him a radiant smile. "Yes, it is. And what I want to do right now is find out why my boyfriend likes Zonko's so much. Besides, I'd like to take you to your favorite places too, you know."

Her boyfriend. She'd said it herself. And she cared about what he wanted and what he liked. As she stood there looking up at him happily, James felt that tingling sensation spread through him again, as though his chest were compressing, or perhaps as though his heart were swelling too big for the space of his ribs. _I love you,_ he thought. "You're wonderful," he said. And in a moment he had picked her up by the waist and was swinging her around, laughing. When he set her down, he couldn't resist getting in one good, sound kiss before letting go. With one long look into her glowing face, he took her hand and led her through the crowded store, enthusiastically pointing out all of the silly toys and all of the familiar ones, and showing her the Marauders' favorites and his personal favorites. Finally, having successfully resisted the urge to spend all of his galleons on himself, he led her back out of the mob of students and into the street. She came out laughing.

"Time for lunch at the Three Broomsticks," Lily reminded James. He followed obligingly. Everything went swimmingly—until it came time to pay. James had assumed that he would pick up the cheque, but Lily had other ideas.

"Oh, stop being so patronizing. I can pay for myself," she had objected when James had pulled out his moneybag.

"I know you _can_," James had retorted, "but I had hoped that you'd let me. After all, I'm the one who did the asking. It would only be fair for me to pay."

Lily pursed her lips. James knew that wasn't a good sign. It usually meant that she was digging in her heels, and if he weren't careful, he'd provoke one of her rants. "If you recall," she said coldly, "I was the one who asked if you wanted to go out again because you were too much of a chicken to do it yourself."

"But," James spluttered, "but that's not fair! Because," he paused, searching for some rationale besides his own pride, "today's the Lily Special, and the rules are that we go where Lily wants and then James pays so Lily doesn't have to worry about it."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "I don't remember the second part of that. And it seems to me that if it's my special day and I want to pay for myself, then the rules dictate that I get to pay."

James folded his arms crossly. "What good is a pocketful of galleons if you won't let me spend them on you?" he complained. But to avoid a scene, he had let her pay her share of the tab, though not without a little muttering under his breath about what a stubborn witch she was. But as they exited, she had murmured a subdued "thank you, James" and taken his hand again, so he figured he must have done the right thing.

"Where to now, milady?" he asked gallantly, pushing their minor spat out of his mind.

She just smiled mysteriously at him. "You'll see when we get there." And on and on they walked, past all of the places James had ever been and on to the outskirts of the village. Lily walked up to the top of a hill and plopped down onto the grass beneath an enormous tree. "Here we are," she announced happily. "I saved my favorite for last." She lay back on the grass while she caught her breath.

James looked around. It really was quite an impressive view for such a short climb. Hogsmeade, teeming with Hogwarts students and bustling shopkeepers, lay out before them, and he could still make out Hogwarts castle in the distance. The hill itself was dotted with wildflowers, and near the top grew several trees like the one under which they were now the beautiful day. Leaning back on one elbow, he plucked one of the flowers and presented it to Lily. "If you won't let me buy you lunch, at least let me give you flowers," he said. "Truce?"

She laughed and looked rather grateful. "Truce. Thank you, James. Sorry for being so stubborn."

He shrugged. "It's probably good for me to argue with somebody smarter and more stubborn than me once in a while. Keeps me from getting my way all the time and turning into a spoiled brat." He quirked a smile at her.

"I didn't mean to make such a big deal out of it," Lily mused, looking closely at the flower in her hands. "I just don't want to turn into the kind of girl who just sits around giggling and vapid while her man does everything important for her." She glanced over at him ruefully. "I've got a rather independent streak, you know."

He nodded. "It's one of the things I like about you. You're so self-assured and capable. I don't think you could ever be the kind of girl who would just sit back and let someone else dictate her life. Besides, any man who could be happy to squelch you like that doesn't deserve you. You're too smart, and too fun, and too full of personality. Anyone lucky enough to be with you should be thanking his lucky stars and endeavoring to deserve you."

She met his eyes. "You should never let a girl boss you around either, James, no matter how much you like her. You deserve better than a squelching too." The look in her eyes sent a pleasant shiver down the back of his spine. "If you still want to pay next time, I promise I'll let you." She gave him a small smile.

"And the next time you insist on retaining a little bit of your independence, I won't fight you so hard," James promised. He rolled onto his back and folded his hands behind his head. "I suppose I like the thought of being your protector and supporter, even though I know you don't really need me for that. But all I really wanted to do was just let you have a good time without having to worry about how much spending money you were going to have left afterwards."

Lily propped herself up on her elbow, facing him. "What about how much spending money _you're_ going to have left afterwards? I don't want you to spend all your money on me and have nothing left for chocolate frogs for yourself."

James stared at her for a minute. "Lily, don't you read the _Prophet_?" She arched her eyebrows. "My family... Well, let's just say you don't have to worry about my spending money running out."

"And what does that have to do with the _Prophet_?"

James sighed. He really hadn't wanted to talk about this. In fact, he'd been hoping to somehow avoid the subject forever, but that was clearly going to be impossible. "Well, when one is the only son of one of the oldest wizarding families in Britain, is still single at seventeen, and is about to come into one of the largest inheritances in Britain on his next birthday, it attracts a bit of attention," he explained slowly. "Shows up in the _Prophet _at least once a month. I hate it, really. I wish they'd just leave me alone. It's no fun living in the spotlight just because I've got money, and it's certainly not enjoyable having the parents of every witch in the Western hemisphere trying to convince me to marry their daughters. Especially when I already know that I could never marry any of them. I gave my heart away a long time ago." He looked away, self-conscious.

"I see," Lily said quietly. James knew she didn't really, but he didn't say anything. There wasn't much else to say. "But why, James?" she asked at last. "Why always me?"

James turned his head toward her again. He'd known she'd get around to asking, and he'd never been able to explain it well. "Do you know what it's like to think about dating another girl after getting to know you, Lily?" James began. "It's like looking at the sun and then trying to live with a candle for light. Like trying to be happy flying a Nimbus 120 after flying a Cleansweep 350." He saw the corners of her mouth twitch, and realized that comparing her to a broom was probably not the most helpful analogy he could have used. "It's just... There's nobody like you, Lily. Every other girl just pales in comparison. To me, they all seem like poor imitations." He could feel the red creeping up his neck and ears, but he ignored it. It was vitally important that she understand this. She needed to know how serious he was that she was the only girl for him.

"James, take me flying," Lily said suddenly. He blinked. That was her response to his declaration of all but undying love? Take her flying? "Please?" she asked again. "I've always thought it must be amazing to fly, but I'm so terrible at it I've never gotten the chance to find out. And I know you're wonderful at it, and I think it would be really wonderful to fly with you." She was babbling, and she looked incredibly nervous as she picked at the blades of grass in front of her.

"Of course, if that's what you want," James answered slowly. "But don't you have anything else to say? I mean, don't you have any kind of response to what I just told you?"

She avoided his eyes. "I don't know what to say to something like that. It's a bit intimidating to hear one of Britain's most eligible bachelors declare that if he can't have you, he won't take anyone. I don't think I deserve it; any of it. I mean, I'm just... a regular old Muggle-born witch with nothing to recommend her but some good grades and a little make-up." She glanced up and gave him a shaky smile, continuing before he could protest. "I mean, there are so many things I don't even know about this world. I still feel like I'm learning my way around. And then here you come, swooping down from your perch atop the heap, saying that I'm the most perfect witch in the world. I just"—she licked her lips nervously—"I worry sometimes that you'll find out I'm not nearly what you think I am. I'm just another girl, James, a girl of flesh and blood with lots of flaws and inconsistencies. And some day you're going to wake up and realize you're dating a person, not a dream."

James shook his head adamantly. "Never, Lily. It's not the dream I want, it's the person, complete with inconsistencies and flaws and independent streaks and stubbornness and everything. And I'm not so crazy about you because of your grades, or even because you're beautiful—it's because of who you are, Lily. Your personality is so unique, and it's everything I've ever wanted. The joy you have in being alive, the way you stop and enjoy the details everyone else walks past, the deep sense of justice and compassion... I could never even begin to describe you and what makes you so perfect to me. Just trust me that you are, and that you will never disappoint me so much that you could make me stop"—he hesitated, wanting to tell her that he loved her but afraid she wasn't ready to hear it—"caring about you." He leaned over and kissed her desperately. He didn't hold back this time, hoping she could feel everything he couldn't say. She surprised him by kissing back hungrily and with a warmth he hadn't expected. And he knew that she really did want to be with him, not just with him because of curiosity or boredom or for attention, but because she cared about him and liked him as he was. It made him want to kiss her forever.

A long time later, both aching for more but knowing they should stop, they pulled apart, not bothering to smooth their disheveled hair or rumpled shirts, grinning at each other through their swollen lips as they tried to catch their breath. Never had she looked so beautiful to him.

"Still want to go flying?" he asked in a few minutes. She nodded enthusiastically. "Then I suppose," he said, rolling over to kiss the tip of her nose, "that we ought to make you look"—he kissed her eyelids—"a little more presentable"—he kissed her chin—"before we go back to the castle"—he kissed her cheeks—"and expose ourselves to public ridicule"—he kissed her forehead—"for rather ridiculous amounts of snogging." He grinned and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

"You don't look too innocent yourself, Mr. Potter," Lily teased, affectionately picking blades of grass from his hair and straightening his shirt. "In fact," she informed him mischeviously, "you look as though you've been quite a bit naughtier than you actually have. And I think I like that look on you." She leaned forward for another kiss.

James forced himself to draw back and take a deep breath. She was infectious. He could have spent all day just kissing her like that. Still, he reached over and helped her smooth her hair. As his thumb brushed the side of her face, she placed her hand over his and leaned into it slightly, just smiling at him. _I love you_, he thought. "You're absolutely perfect," he said.

They walked slowly back to the castle, silent most of the way, just enjoying being together. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows in the golden light front of them. Lily made him laugh by making funny shapes with their shadows. He told her stories about his summers with Sirius. And almost too soon, they were nearing the quidditch pitch. "Ready?" James murmured. She nodded, and he summoned his broom. A few moments later, it whizzed into his hand and he stood looking at her expectantly.

"Let me just watch you for a minute first," Lily said shyly. "I've always liked to watch you fly, even when I didn't want to admit that I liked anything about you. You just make it look so natural, like you're even more at home in the air than on the ground." He lifted off into the slowly darkening sky.

The wind ruffled his hair and whistled in his ears. He loved it. It was the only thing in the world that made him feel almost as good as Lily did. He climbed toward the sky, then dropped back toward the earth, making a wide circle around Lily until he finally came to rest in front of her. He was quite startled to find her watching him with the same expression he'd often felt when looking at her. "Hop on."

"I did warn you I'm a really terrible flyer, didn't I?" Lily said apologetically as she approached the broom. "I don't think I've ever gotten my feet really off the ground more than a few inches."

"Then you'll love this," he assured her, wrapping his arms around her waist and grabbing onto the broom with one hand. "Where shall we go?"

"Anywhere," she replied over her shoulder. "Wherever you want to take me."

His eyes lit up. "Oh, I want to take you everywhere, Lily. If we had enough time, I'd fly you around the whole world. We could visit every continent, every great city, everything you've ever wanted to see and everything I've ever wanted to show you." He'd planned out their honeymoon back in fifth year during a particularly boring History of Magic class, and he'd always imagined whisking her away from place to place on his broom. He'd hardly even noticed that they'd lifted into the air until he heard Lily's intake of breath. "Sorry, is this too high or too fast?"

"No," she breathed, "this is wonderful. Even better than I imagined." Leaning forward slightly, he could see her dazzling smile. She was completely enraptured. If he hadn't needed to keep his eyes on where the broom was headed, he didn't think he could ever have torn his eyes away from her face, not like that. He was surrounded by the heady scent of her hair and her body was tucked closely against his as they flew into the sunset. He tightened his arm around her waist and turned up. Her delighted laughter drifted back to him, and he couldn't resist kissing her hair.

The sun had set when their feet touched the ground again. Lily's cheeks were rosy and her eyes sparkled. Her hair was tangled and her shirt was wrinkled from where James' arm had crinkled it against her waist. To James, she looked absolutely captivating. So when she asked if he wanted to stay and watch the stars come out, he readily agreed.

"I wish this day never had to end," James murmured into the top of her head where it rested on his shoulder.

"Just because today was perfect doesn't mean we can't have more perfect days to come, does it? Maybe after this one's over, we'll have a hundred more even better days to come," she replied dreamily.

James' heart swelled with his love for her. "Of course we will," he agreed, pulling her closer and kissing her affectionately. "Maybe even a hundred thousand perfect days like this one."


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, James was delighted when Lily slid into the seat next to him at breakfast. He was pleased not to feel any semblance of a blush creeping up his cheeks, but he was quite sure that he couldn't hide looking every bit as besotted as he was. His mouth just couldn't quite seem to stop smiling, his eyes involuntarily wandered over to Lily every few minutes and stayed longer than necessary, and he hadn't really tasted anything that had passed through his lips. When Lily's hand sought his under the table, he almost gave up on eating entirely just to savor the moment that _she_ had reached for _him_ in public. Thankfully, Remus had too much tact to embarrass him in front of Lily, Sirius was too tired to be aware of anything around him, and Peter was still slightly afraid of her (which he had been ever since the first time she'd publicly yelled at James at the top of her lungs). James' life was perfect for the moment.

Then Remus somehow managed to catch James' eye over the top of the newspaper he was reading. "There's something at the bottom of this page you may find interesting," he remarked quietly, folding the paper to the third page and sliding it across the table.

James picked it up, expecting to find pictures of the quidditch semi-finals. What met his eyes instead was a picture of himself. With Lily. Someone had snapped a picture of them in front of Zonko's, and there they were, spinning around and kissing. James' heart sank into his stomach like lead. "_BRITAIN'S MOST FAMOUS BACHELOR FINALLY SNATCHED UP?" _asked the headline.His eyes skimmed the article, which made mention of his expected inheritance, the family bloodline, where he and Lily had been spotted and what they'd been doing, a not-so-subtle inference that Lily was digging for gold, and a little jab toward the end about how his mother might feel about his relationship with a Muggle-born witch. His lips compressed to a thin line and he felt his nostrils flare slightly. He wordlessly passed the paper to Lily, who was watching him inquisitively.

Lily's eyebrows rose, and she paled slightly, but she said nothing. When she had finished reading, she stared at the table for a few moments thoughtfully before nodding slightly and handing Remus the paper again. Then she returned to eating her breakfast, taking only a moment to glance at James and give his hand a small squeeze.

"I'm sorry," James said tersely, afraid to say more lest he lost his composure and start the rant he felt building inside him. But when Lily smiled at him so kindly and sympathetically, he burst out, "It's not fair! Who do they think they are, robbing us of our privacy, making money from my happiness? Who do they think _I_ am, that every intimate detail of my life needs to be published for all to see, documented in photos and complete with commentary? And I"—he inhaled sharply and paused for a moment to collect himself—"I really didn't think they would do this to you, Lily. It's not fair for you to be dragged into this. I should've seen it coming and warned you, or found some way to keep you away from them, or... I'm sorry, Lily, I really am."

She shook her head. "It's all right, James. It's part of being your girlfriend." His leaden stomach gave a momentary quiver and she smiled slightly. "I'm willing to put up with it for your sake, and I know you don't like it either. But we must take life as it is, the good and the bad. This just isn't one of the more pleasant bits."

James felt that if he hadn't been in love with her already, he certainly would have been now. She was brave and loyal, a true Gryffindor. And she had deemed him a worthy recipient of that braveness and loyalty. He was just looking at her affectionately when she leaned over and kissed him softly. The unexpectedness of the act brought the familiar goosebumps up all over. He was keenly aware that the volume in the Great Hall diminished and that both his friends and Lily's were watching them intently. But when she pulled back a long moment later, he couldn't help smiling at her widely. "I hope I'm worth it," he murmured. She just grinned. "And for the record," James added apologetically, "my mum loves Muggles." Lily laughed.

Sirius turned to James when the four friends were finally alone in the hallway. "Well, it certainly seems as though you've won the fair lady at last, Prongs. Congratulations." He shook his hand with exaggerated pomp and circumstance. Then he leaned over and said with a wink, "Good work getting snogged before the end of breakfast." He waggled his eyebrows.

James laughed and punched his friend in the shoulder. "That wasn't a snog, you idiot. It was just a kiss."

"Ah, so she has snogged you then," Sirius said slyly. "Judging from the look on your face this morning, she must be quite good at it." He nudged James in the stomach with his elbow.

James tried to frown disapprovingly, but he was in much too good a mood this morning to manage it. Peter snickered at his attempt, but Remus simply raised an eyebrow and remarked, "Judging from the look on Lily's face, Prongs isn't too bad either."

"Really? You think so?" James asked eagerly. When all three of his friends burst into laughter, he flushed with embarrassment. "Er, I mean, of course I not," he added lamely and a bit too late.

Sirius slung an arm around his shoulder. "James, you're my best mate. If you weren't any good at snogging, it would become a matter of personal honor. We couldn't have that. I'd have tutored you myself if need be." He blew his dark hair out of his eyes.

"My," Peter commented dryly, "that's certainly a revolting concept."

James shuddered as images passed through his mind of all the ways Sirius might have tried to teach him to kiss better. He almost walked right past Lily without noticing, but noticed her at the last second and smiled broadly. When she met his eyes with a slightly desperate look, he noticed the girls standing around her and realized why he'd almost missed her. They certainly weren't Lily's usual friends, and actually looked quite malicious at the moment. His smile faltered.

Without a thought for his friends, he maneuvered his way to Lily and was just about to speak to her when he heard one of the girls remark cooly to him, "She must be a good shag, eh Potter? I don't know why else you'd waste your time on a Mudblood like her." She looked up from her nails to smirk at him.

James bit back his retort at Lily's almost imperceptible shake of the head. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye to see that she was clearly biting back some reply of her own. "If you'll excuse me, girls, I've got to go to class," she said in a tight, clipped voice. "No need to waste any more of your time on a Mudblood like me," she added snidely, and whipped around and stalked off, pulling James along by the hand.

"What was that about?" James asked under his breath.

"Nothing," Lily said, staring straight ahead, nostrils flared and lips clamped together.

"Right. Just a friendly little chat." James stopped and folded his arms across his chest. She turned to face him, mimicking his posture. "What were they saying to you, Lily?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "They were making fun of me for the article in the _Daily Prophet_. Snide comments about snogging you in public, being Muggle-born, looking to get my greedy hands on your money or power, that sort of thing. Nothing I can't handle."

James gaped at her, blood boiling. "What do you mean, 'nothing you can't handle'? I've half a mind to go back and hex them to oblivion." His hand reached for his wand instinctively. Lily stopped him with one look.

"That's exactly why I didn't want to tell you what they were saying. I can stand up for myself, you know, and I didn't want you to stoop to their level by getting involved in a stupid fight. They're just picking at me because they're jealous." She let out her breath in a whoosh. When she looked up and met his eyes, James could see that their words had hurt more than she was willing to let on. She smiled apologetically. "It stings a little. But I'll get over it, and they'll see that they're wasting their time."

James couldn't help pulling her into a hug. Despite her brave words, she clung to him tightly for a moment and James distinctly heard a small sniffle. "I'm sorry, Lily," he sighed. "It's all my fault they're saying those things to you. It's just part of being my"—he swallowed hard as the word passed through his lips for the first time—"girlfriend, and I'll understand if you'd rather not put up with it all. It's quite a lot to handle just because a guy fancies you." He held his breath, waiting for her response. _Please, Lily, say I'm worth it..._

She shook her head against his chest. "I told you, I'll get over it and so will they. They're not about to drive me off." Relief flooded James' veins. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, savoring the scent of her hair. "I just hope that you aren't disappointed in me when you see just how imperfect I am," Lily continued quietly. She smiled up at him weakly.

"Don't be ridiculous," James soothed. "I already know you're imperfect. I've already seen you make mistakes with my own two eyes. But I still think you're wonderful, just as you are. I wouldn't trade you for anyone else on the planet." He bent down and kissed her hair. For several minutes, they just stood there comfortably.

"I'm afraid we're quite late for class," Lily murmured into his shoulder.

"Mmm hmm," James agreed, too content to feel the need to move ever again.

"We should go." Lily reluctantly pushed herself away from him with a sigh. "We've already missed probably half the class."

"So why go?" James countered. "Let's just skive off."

Lily snorted. "Come on, James, let's go."

"No, I'm serious. We could go back to the common room, or get some tea from the kitchens, or go for a walk, or whatever you want."

"James!" Lily protested. "We're Head Boy and Girl. We can't just skive off whenever we feel like it."

"Of course we can. Everybody else does." James waved a hand dismissively. "Come on, we'll get you some tea to help you feel better. That's what my mum always does for me." He took her hand and began to walk down the corridor toward the kitchens. He glanced back over his shoulder to smile at her, but the look on her face brought him to a halt. She looked slightly panicked at the thought of walking away from the class she was supposed to be in. James mentally berated himself for his thoughtlessness. This was Lily Evans, who had never skived off in the whole of her seven years at Hogwarts, to whom classes were the reason she was here, who loved what she learned and loved making her professors proud and just loved being in class. There was a reason she was Head Girl.

"We can go to class if you really want," James conceded. "Sorry for being a stubborn idiot about it."

Lily's smile was genuine this time. "You weren't being an idiot. You just... aren't quite as rigid as I am about certain things." She squeezed his hand.

James stepped closer, taking her other hand in his as well. "We'll go to class now, but I'm taking you flying after classes are over today. It'll put things in perspective and make you feel better, I promise." He smiled at her affectionately.

Lily pushed herself up onto her toes and kissed him gently. His arms crept around her waist as her lips brushed lightly over his. It still made him just a little bit dizzy. Goosebumps rose along the back of his neck when her hand slowly slid up into his hair. Then Lily's tongue slowly traced the line of his lips, and it was all he could do not to groan right there in the middle of the corridor. It was the perfect mixture of being so wonderful that he never wanted anything to change and being so good that he wanted more. It was as if kissing her like this was perfect as it was, but if he could hold her just a little closer, kiss her just a little more deeply, it would be the icing on the cake. And so he did, and it was even better. For once his knees weren't shaking, he wasn't paralyzed by nervousness, and he could just kiss her the way he'd always wanted to.

He had no idea how long they'd been there like that when she finally pulled back. "Now we're going to be really late for class," Lily giggled a little breathlessly.

James grinned as he took in her slightly touseled hair, her flushed face, the shining eyes, the swollen red lips. He knew he must look the same. "I don't think anyone will have any questions about where we've been," he teased. "I'm afraid it's rather obvious at just a glance."

Lily blushed a little. "I suppose so." She glanced down at their entwined fingers. "Okay, maybe we can skive off... but just for the rest of this class. We have to go to the next one." Her eyes twinkled as she reached up to kiss him again.

James turned away so she caught his cheek instead of his lips. "Perhaps a change in location would be a good idea right about now," he murmured in her ear. "Wouldn't want Dumbledore to come round the corner and find his beloved Head Girl snogging the Head Boy smack in the middle of the corridor while they were supposed to be in class." He kissed her just below the earlobe, and he was delighted to feel her shiver slightly.

Lily seemed to regain her senses as James took a step back. "Where do you suggest we go?" she asked.

James grinned. "Well, it just so happens that nobody knows this castle better than yours truly. Except maybe Dumbledore. And he won't be looking for us where we're going." With one last quick kiss, he took her hand and pulled her down the corridor, loving the sound of her quiet laughter.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Sorry... had this written over a week ago, but I wasn't happy with it. But I've decided this is how it's just going to stay. Bleh. May you enjoy it anyway. :)_

The first month had passed blissfully. The nervousness had subsided, so James no longer needed to worry that he was going to start shaking like a leaf or that his knees were going to give out. He could just enjoy Lily.

She really made it far too easy for him to love her. And he did, but every time he wanted to say it, he held it in. He wanted her to know that he meant it, and not just in an artificial, immature sort of way. He wanted her to know that he knew relationships were supposed to take work, and sometimes theirs did, but it was nothing in comparison to the joy he had in being with her. Maybe waiting so long for her had given him a unique perspective on things, but he had no intention of ever letting her go. As long as she was willing to have him, he was going to soak in every blissful moment and do everything in his power to make sure that she was still going to want him tomorrow. He wanted her to know that those three words carried weight for him. But he couldn't wait much longer to tell her, or he was going to burst.

He'd asked her time and again why she chose him, what it was about him that finally won her over, but none of her answers satisfied him. His desire to know that he had won her over, not his money or his pedigree or anything else but he himself, was completely insatiable. He couldn't get his fill of hearing her say that he was enough for her just as he was.

Now they were lying outside in the grass watching the clouds float by overhead. They'd lain down to catch their breath after a dizzying ride around the grounds on James' broom, and the rare warmth of the late autumn sun had lulled them into a pleasant stupor. Half-asleep, James reached over lazily to brush a strand of Lily's hair off her cheek. She turned to him and smiled.

"Your hair's a mess," she murmured affectionately.

James chuckled quietly. "I'm sure it is. But that's normal for me." One corner of his mouth lifted into a lopsided smile. "You know that's why you like me."

She laughed, a deep, throaty laugh. "Yes, James. I'm completely crazy about you because you can't seem to make your hair look like a normal person's." She rolled her eyes.

"You think it's hot," James smirked, folding his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

"Yes, I do," Lily agreed easily. He loved that she understood that he needed to hear it once in a while. Cocky on the outside, insecure on the inside—he was like a bizarre human éclair. But that's what a lifetime of money had taught him: everyone will love you a little, but be wary of why they love you.

"Besides that 'freshly snogged' look you've got going on with your hair," Lily continued, making James's mouth twitch at the description, "you've got such a delectable dimple." She rolled herself up onto one elbow and leaned over him. James was terribly self-conscious about his dimples, but for some reason she always commented on them. Then he'd suck in his cheeks to hide them, but eventually he'd start laughing and they'd be back as large and undeniable as ever. Lily knew the pattern. So now she waited until he couldn't hold the smile back anymore, and then swooped down and kissed him right on her favorite "delectable dimple."

"And you've got those dizzyingly beautiful eyes," she added, kissing his eyelids. "And such a nice mouth," she continued. "I particularly like your smile." When she didn't follow it with a kiss, James opened his eyes to find her face hovering inches above his. She was just smirking at him, eyes alight with teasing and affection. _Oh Lily, I love you_, he thought. He raised his head to meet her lips.

He had no idea how long it was before they separated. Time always seemed to stand still when he was kissing Lily. She made a contented noise as she snuggled closer to him, his arm around her shoulder. "Did I ever tell you how much I like your hands?" she said absently, picking one of them up and playing with the fingers. "They're very sexy hands. Very large, rather calloused, with long, narrow fingers. Very gentle hands. Very graceful hands. My ideal, really..." She trailed off, tracing the outline of his hand with her finger.

James glanced over at her, eyebrows arched. "Would you like some time alone with my hand, or would you prefer to keep the rest of me attached to it?" he teased.

"Oh, all together, please," Lily answered. "Much as I like your hands, I can't really snog them satisfactorily." She proceeded to demonstrate how poorly it worked, and soon both she and James were giggling and gasping for breath.

"Sweet Merlin, I love"—he checked himself abruptly—"the way you make me laugh." The corner of her mouth twitched and she looked at him knowingly.

"I love laughing with you," she said softly.

He turned his head to meet her eyes and looked into their clear green depths. He reached over and cupped her face in one hand, fondly brushing her cheek with his thumb. She was so beautiful and so wonderful. He could never deserve her. "What else do you love about me, Lily?" he murmured plaintively, then cringed immediately. Great goblins, he sounded needy. But he couldn't help asking; he needed to know.

Lily just met his gaze patiently. "Well," she began, "I love your sense of humor. And I love the way you think about things. And that you bother to think about them at all." She turned her attention back to his hand again. "And I love that you think I'm special. And I love that you still get completely flustered around me sometimes. I love watching you fly. And I love it even more when you take me flying. I love your loyalty to your friends. And the way your hair sticks up. And I love your spontaneity. And I love the way that you just love to live. You just make life more fun, and more meaningful." She brought her eyes back up to his. He leaned over and kissed her softly. "What about me, James? What do you love about me?" she asked curiously.

"I love the way that you laugh, and the way that your nose crinkles when you think something's funny. I love the way that you argue with me. I love the way you get so lost in details that you forget what you're doing or where you are. I love the lists you make of all the things you want to remember forever. I love..." He sighed and gave up trying to describe it. He looked steadily into her eyes and took a deep breath. "I love _you_, Lily. All of you, just as you are. I love you."

Her smile blossomed slowly, but it dazzled him in full bloom. "I love you too, James."

He forgot to breathe for a minute. She'd said it back.

"You love me," he repeated in disbelief. She nodded emphatically. "You, Lily Evans, love _me_."

She couldn't contain her laughter anymore. "Yes, James, I love you. Is that so hard to believe?"

"Well, yes, actually," James admitted, still feeling dumbfounded. He had the distinct impression that he was gaping at her like a goldfish, but he didn't care. "But... why?" he managed faintly.

She laughed again. "Because of all those reasons I just told you a minute ago." She sat up and turned to look into his eyes seriously. "You've become my best friend, James. You understand me in a way that no one else does. And you like me that way. For instance, you don't mind that I'm smart."

"Of course not!" he scoffed. "I happen to adore that about you."

She smiled. "Exactly. It's been a problem in the past. Some men feel threatened by smart women."

"Some men need to remove their heads from their sphincters," he muttered.

Lily grinned. "Well, it might help that you're actually smart enough to hold your own," she pointed out. "Which is something else I love about you. I've always wanted someone who didn't mind debating with me and could actually win once in a while." She looked away for a minute pensively. "Remember when I was dating David? He used to get so mad at me for 'always being right' and never letting him beat me in an argument."

"What an idiot," James murmured, still staring at her in a bit of a daze. Then he quirked a smile. "Let me guess: he never let you pay for yourself either?"

"Oh, of course not." Lily rolled her eyes. "Didn't really seem to realize that women's lib had occurred, actually."

James chuckled. "Oh, was that a problem for you? And here I've always thought of you as the fluff for brains, submissive type." He winked, and she tackled him, tickling him until he begged for mercy. When she'd rolled off him and he'd caught his breath, he looked over at her and reached out to take her hand. "I really do love you, Lily," he said sincerely.

"I know." She gazed back at him. "I really do love you too, James." She squeezed his hand, and he brushed his thumb over her fingers. They smiled into each other's eyes for a long moment, then both turned back to the sky and closed their eyes. All James saw was the image of Lily looking at him, her fiery hair glowing in contrast to the fresh green grass, eyes shining with love for him. He knew it was a picture that he would carry with him until the grave.

"You know," Lily murmured after a few minutes of silence, "this is where most stories switch over to 'and they lived happily ever after.'"

"Hmm," James remarked intelligently.

"Do you think there'll be a happily ever after for us?" Lily mused, rolling onto her side to look at him.

James gazed at her for a long moment, wondering what kind of an answer he should give. Deciding there was no point in holding back anymore, he replied, "For me, there's no doubt. All I need for a happily ever after is you. I'd marry you tomorrow if you'd let me, and then I'd consider myself the happiest man alive."

Lily laughed, which caught James a little off guard. "Don't you think maybe there's a little more to it than that?"

"Yeah, I suppose," he shrugged. "But does the rest really matter?"

Lily gave him a puzzled look. "Don't you worry about anything, James? Aren't you worried about graduating, becoming a full-fledged adult, jobs, kids, trying to keep in touch with friends, things like that?"

He smiled slightly. "Of course I worry about those kinds of things. But I guess that for my happily ever after, I don't need all of those things to go perfectly all the time. I just need somebody to help me through them when they go badly. Somebody who cares enough to help me make the choices that are best for me, and who'll support me, and who can make me laugh even when I feel like crying. Somebody who understands me and reminds me of all the things that are right with the world. And you, Lily, are all of those things for me."

"I think I'd marry you tomorrow too," Lily murmured. "You make it sound so appealingly black and white." With a teasing glint in her eye, she added, "All we need is the ring." She leaned over to kiss him, but stopped short when she noticed him blushing. "James Potter, what is that look on your face?"

He knew he was looking a little sheepish, but he couldn't help it. "Well," he confessed, "I already have it picked out. I just need to go pay for it."

Lily gaped at him for a moment, then burst into hysterical laughter. "Do I even want to know when that happened?" she giggled.

James turned even redder. "About the end of, erm, fifth year." This just made Lily laugh even harder. "I was feeling a bit desperate at that point, you know, and my idiotic fifth year brain was wracking itself for anything I could do that might get you to finally go out with me," he started to explain. "So when my dad—he was still alive then—got the crazy idea that I'd be able to help him pick out something that my mum would like for their anniversary, he took me to the jeweler. And while I was poking around, I saw it. For a few minutes, I thought that if I proposed to you straight away, you'd be shocked into saying yes, and then I could show you what a good idea marrying me would be before you ever had a chance to realize what you'd done and change your mind." This time he was the one laughing at his own stupidity. He glanced over at Lily, who had calmed down again and was listening with a bemused smile. "You have my dad to thank for persuading me that that was a stupid idea."

Lily nodded. "Yeah, I don't think my shocked reaction would have been a yes. It would have thrown your whole plan off." She grinned at James, who started to laugh again, which made her laugh. They laughed hard and long at their own foolishness, both glad things had changed.

"So, Lily my love," James said as he regained control of himself, smiling at her warmly, "what do you see ahead in your happily ever after? And am I in it?" He waggled his eyebrows as he kissed the back of her hand.

Lily tapped her chin in mock thoughtfulness. "Well, I'm afraid my happily ever after is going to have some arguments. They're unavoidable, no matter what those ridiculous fairy tales say. I'll still be a human being, you know."

"Oh, most definitely," James agreed.

"And lots of making up after the arguments."

James unsuccessfully fought back a smirk, having been involved in a few arguments and the rather pleasant making up thereafter, but he managed to keep his mouth shut.

"Definitely living with my best friend, getting to talk in bed every night like it's a sleepover," Lily continued.

James raised an eyebrow teasingly. "Does Emmaline know you feel this way about her?" Lily smacked him in the head affectionately. "Oh right, wrong best friend," he quipped with a wink. She stuck her tongue out at him.

"At least three or four kids," Lily stated thoughtfully.

He grinned. The thought of a large family had always appealed to him, especially after growing up an only child. "Can they all have your eyes?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"Just as long as they don't have your hair." Lily rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "Most important in my happily ever after, however, is that person who'll love me forever, no matter what. Who'll think I'm beautiful even in my rattiest jumper, and who'll forgive me when I lose my temper and say something I don't mean, who'll be there for me when work is terrible and who will encourage me to try again tomorrow. Somebody who thinks I'm great just the way I am, but who believes I'm capable of being just a little bit better still." She paused for a moment. James squeezed her hand. When she turned to him, her eyes were full of swirling emotions. But James saw in that look how much she really did love him. "I'm glad I've found that person," she said softly.

"So am I," James responded, kissing her slowly. "So am I."


End file.
